Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA- Health Ministry launched Sunday the national immunization days for all children under five years across the country to be immunized against dangerous childhood diseases.
The national immunization days coincide with World Immunization Week.
Health centers in all provinces, makeshifts and mobile teams are engaged in the national immunization days. The vaccines are given free of charge and are of high quality matching WHO standards.
Health Minister Nizar Yazigi clarified that the campaign is meant to target 2.8 million children around the country to immunize them against the dangerous diseases and to continue the previous vaccination campaigns for the dropouts.
298. 000 children under five years to be targeted in Damascus Province, Director of Damascus Health Directorate Mohammad Ramez Orfali clarified, adding that 25 well qualified mobile teams participate in the campaign.
About 330.000 children under five years in Damascus countryside will be targeted in the campaign.
The national immunization days campaign is launched by Health Ministry in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) .
Resident Representative of the UNICEF in Syria Hana Singer said the organization’s role is to support the great efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health and the civil associations in this campaign.
The UNECIF has provided vaccines for about one million children, she said, expressing hope that the campaign will succeed in reaching all targeted children.
In a statement to SANA, the WHO Resident Representative in Damascus Elizabeth Hoff said the organization has provided the required technical and operational support to ensure the success of the National Immunization Days in Syria through training cadres and securing 360 cars to enable the mobile vaccination teams to reach various areas.
Huff stressed the need that this campaign should achieve the goal of reaching the largest possible number of children who missed vaccinations, with paying special attention to children in besieged and difficult-to-reach areas with the help of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent teams.
World Immunization Week is a global public health campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It takes place each year during last week of April, as the immunization can protect against 25 different infectious agents or diseases, from infancy to old age, including diphtheria, measles, polio and tetanus.
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